My Journey Through Termina
by MisterMagus
Summary: After being mugged by the Skull Kid, Link chases him into a whole new land with unique troubles and an uncertain future. He must overcome a great struggle, one that threatens to destroy this world and spread into the next. With only a week to put things right, how can Link possibly solve the problems that plague this strange land?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note

This is intended to be an alternate story for Majora's Mask. So, I'm bound to change some story elements. Also, this is my first fanfic, so, please understand that it won't be perfect.

~Mister Magus

Slowly, I walked Epona through the muck, feeling the ground swish and chug beneath my feet. I scoffed at my horse "You big idiot! If you hadn't bolted through the woods like that, we wouldn't be slshing through mud, like pigs!" I giggled to myself. "Well, actually, now that we have an excuse, we can go deeper into the Lost Woods! Come, on girl!"

I picked up my pace a little and trudged through the rest of the mud. Epona sretched out when we reaced solid ground, and whinnied in my ear. "Yeah, Epona, we're gonna check out that weird tunnel we saw the other day." I paused a moment. "I wonder... if it's a warp like the one to Death Mountain, where does it go?"

I scraped the mud off my hands and saddled Epona. Now that we were on solid ground I could ride Epona and relax. I kicked her side and got comfortable in the saddle for the quick jaunt to the tunnel.

As we neared the tunnel, the woods got thicker, and a little dark. Epona started to slow down as we trudged between the great trees. We were in a part of the Lost Woods called the Timeless Thicket. The Great Deku Tree told us that the thicket ran until the End of the world.

I stroked Epona's mane as she trudged on. I knew that we were getting close the the tunnel, so I looked around to look for some landmark. "Epona! It's ove-"

_Ti-ti-ti-ti-ting_ Two fairies flew into my face. I screamed and fell off of Epona.

I stayed down, my head aching from the impact. Suddenly I felt a thud nearby and a skull kid with a purple mask started feeling around on me. He reached into my shirt and pulled my fairy ocarina right off of the string that I had put it on to wear it around my neck.

He began blowing into it, and giggling at the whistle that it made.

A light voice, from a dark purple fairy said "Heeyyy... Skullkid. Can I try it? Please?"

"No, Tael! You're so clumsy that you'll probably end up dropping it like you did with my crystal!" screamed the other fairy, this one being a cream color.

"No! You lost it!"

"No! You broke it!"

With the three paying more attention to the argument, I got up and put my hand on the skull kid's shoulder. "Give me back my ocarina." He quickly jumped forward and turned around.

"Oh, this is your ocarina? Oh, you should be more careful with your things. But this will probably be safer in my hands." He hopped up on Epona and she started running away.

I darted forward and grabbed on to Epona's leg. I tried to hold on as hard as I could, but she turned quickly around a stump and I was thrown back, into a tree. I hit my head and was out for, I suppose, a while.

When I came back around, I had to take a minute to remember what happened. I sat dumbfounded for atleast ten minutes before it hit me what was going on. I looked around frantically for where Epona might have gone. I followed some hoof-prints that I had found and was lead to the tunnel that I was headed for in the first place.

I took a deep breath and ran in to the maw of the tunnel. I could hear the clatter of Epona's hooves much deeper in the cave and ran even faster. Suddenly the tunnel opened into a massive chasm with no other possible paths that Epona could have followed. I quickly said a prayer to Farore and asked for a little bit of courage and jumped in to the gaping darkness below.

I could have sworn that I fell for hours. As I slowly fell through the darkness, I was assailed by strange images of zoras and dekus, clocks and faces, and many other, unrelated things. I finally landed with a loud thud onto a massive, soft flower. I hopped up and looked around.

The room looked practically empty. The only notable feature was a pool of water around the flower. Suddenly a loud crash and a beam of light shone into the room. When I looked up to see where it had come from, I saw that skull kid standing on the lip of an opening high above. He shook his head and started floating down.

He and the two fairies levitated in the light. He looked at me and started to speak in a raspy voice. "Stupid horse. Doesn't listen to a word that is said to it. I figured that it must have been troublesome for you, so I took care of it." He laughed a piercing laugh "Now what should I do with you. Hmm... Ahh, yes, that should suit you quite nicely."

I could feel the mask's eyes burn into my soul. The skull kid shook the mask and I could feel something coming over me.

Suddenly I was being chased by a horde of deku scrubs. No matter how fast I went, I never could get away from them. Eventually I ran out of breath and slowed down. They swarmed me so quickly that I couldn't react.

One giant scrub appeared and trudged toward me. As it reached me, I felt my entire make up change.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, that skull kid was right in my face.

"That form suits you pretty well,' He nodded, "You're welcome, kid." And, with that, he started to leave.

The cream-ish fairy turned around and laughed at me. "Ha! You look ridiculous!"

_Ti-ti-ti-ting._ "Sis! Come on!" The skull kid and the other fairy passed through a door that loudly shut before the fairy could join her companions. She banged on the door, but it wouldn't budge.

The fairy turned back to me and started screaming, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't been so dumb, I wouldn't have been left behind!" She started slamming into my face, knocking me back a little bit, and making me trip backward.

I started to yell at the fairy "MMMMpppppffff! Ppppprrrrrrr!" For some reason, I couldn't form any words.

"Ha! You don't know what happened to you, do you?" she choked out between her giggles, "Why don't you look at yourself! Hee hee hee."

I looked into the pool at my feet and a sad looking deku scrub, that same one from my vision, looked back at me. I stood looking at the reflection, not quite grasping the gravity of the situation.

"So, are you gonna open the door for me?" The fairy flew into my face. "Come on! Just open it!"

I shrugged and walked over to the door. I lifted the door with my awkward, stubby arms. The fairy zipped by and flew down the passage, so I decided to follow her.

Suddenly the fairy stopped. She flew back to me and apologized, "Umm, about back there, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been mean to you. So... I'm Tatl." She put forward her little hand, and we shook.

'You probably wanna get your ocarina back, huh? Well, I just so happen to know where the Skull Kid is going. It's across that gap up there, so you're gonna have to use that deku flower. You know how to do that, right? No? Well, I guess you're gonna have to figure it out!"

_Farore! This fairy talks way too much..._ I thought as I walked over to the big pink flower. I climbed up on to it and padded around on the soft fleshy surface. How do I use it? Back in the forest I'd seen the dekus dive into these, so I figured that I'd try. I found an opening and slipped right in.

With a huge blast, I was launched out of the flower and up into the air. I managed to grab a petal on my way out and used that to glide across the huge split in the floor.

Tatl floated over to me. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I shrugged, unable to really speak. "Anyways, we're almost there! It's maybe fifteen minutes from here."

I nodded and followed Tatl until we came to a corridor that was twisted and curved, and seemed to collapse and expand at the same time.

"It's just through here." Tatl and I charged through the hall. Little did I know how massive of an event this was.

We came into a mossy room, with big wooden gears and a large stream of water turning a massive wheel. I climbed up a set of stairs and looked around. A huge rod turned, going up to hundreds of gears. I understood what this was. It was a clock tower.

"Come on! Let's go outside!" Tatl ran over to a set of huge double doors and looked at me as if to say _Could you open this door for me? _. I felt bad for her. She was pretty helpless by herself. I trudged over to open the door when I sensed someone behind me.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note

The fact that Link can't talk in his current state stems from the differences in anatomy of Hylians and Dekus. Link doesn't know how to form words with his new mouth. Kind of like a baby.

~Mister Magus

I spun around to face the voice. A man stood there, with a crooked grin on his face. I recognized him. He ran the Happy Mask Shop in Castle Town. What was _he_ doing here?

"Ho ho ho. Don't be upset, but I've been following you." Great, this guy's a stalker, too... "I saw what that imp did to you. I know a way to turn you back, but you'll need to get back that _precious item_ that was stolen from you."

Tatl whispered to me, "I don't like him..."

"Little one, there is no need to distrust me." Tatl turned in shock, surprised that this man could hear her. "All I ask, is that in return, you retrieve the mask that the Skull Kid stole from me. That is fair, yes?" The man let out another laugh.

I nodded. I wasn't quite sure about this man, but I was going to get my ocarina back anyways, so why not grab that mask on the way? Tatl pouted at me.

"Good, good. But, being a salesman, I am a very busy man. I must be out of this land in seven days. Ho ho ho ho. You can do it, right?" The man bowed and smiled at me.

I nodded again and headed out the door.

"Sheesh! That guy gives me the creeps! Why would you say yes? I mean, I understand wanting to get back to how you were before, but I don't trust him!" Tatl snapped at me. "Anyways, SEVEN DAYS? That's only a week!"

I looked at her as if to say _Get over it. We're going to get me turned back_. Atleast, I _think_ that's how I looked. Dekus don't exactly have a range of facial expressions...

I looked around me, taking in what I saw. Men rushed about, kids played in the street, and market stalls were all around. This must be the center of town. I plodded around, looking for nothing in particular. All the while the clock tower loomed high above everything else. It was about one, and I was starting to feel hungry.

I passed by food stands and tried to get the attention of the people running them. My inability to speak was starting to become detrimental... Eventually Tatl picked up on how I was feeling, and managed to buy me a big, tasty slice of pineapple. I can't exactly explain it, but eating was one of the strangest sensations. I put food into my mouth and something inside me crushed it. I was starting to get sick of this weird body.

I decided to return to the clock tower, and rest for a moment, while I thought over my dilemma. By the clock tower, there was a big orange Deku Flower. I was going over to it, when an akindo nut popped up at me.

"Hey, kid, this is my property! What are you doing here?" The business scrub wailed at me. "Come on! Speak, child!"

"You stupid old stump! Can't you see that he can't talk?" Tatl screamed back. "The poor thing is practically helpless!"

"What do you mean he can't speak?" The scrub softened his tone. "Is it something I can help with?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been able to talk for a while"

"Hmm... Maybe the Great Fairy can help him." the nut offered.

"I suppose it's worth a try." Tatl whispered to herself "I hadn't thought of that..."

"Glad to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my wife." And with that, the akindo nut sunk back into his flower.

Tatl guided me to another part of the town. This area was a park, with a slide, and some kids trying to pop a balloon. Tatl hovered over to a big, dome shaped building. "Just through here, umm... Hmm... I don't know your name, do I?"

I shook my head and followed her into the building. Inside was a magnificent fountain, with water that seemed to flow from nowhere at all. In the fountain, I could see a crumpled figure. I ran over to look at it.

Tatl cried "Oh no! The Great Fairy! What happened?" The crumpled form of the once beautiful creature looked up at her.

"It was... Skull Kid..." The Great Fairy gasped for air. "Who is your friend? I... sense something strange about him..."

"He was turned into a scrub by Skull Kid." Tatl quickly explained

"Oh... Let me help you then, child..." With the last of her strength, the Great Fairy summoned a bright green light that filled the room. "Now, while you still are not yourself... on the... outside... you can still feel yourself on the... inside..." She coughed up dark, golden blood, "I'm sorry I couldn't help more..." And then, she was still.


	3. Chapter 3

"No!" screamed Tatl, "The Great Fairy can't... can't... die." Tatl started to sob "How could Skull Kid have done this?"

"I think that it has something to do with that mask." I startled myself. "Oh, thank you Great Fairy! I can speak!" I felt elated to be able to talk again.

"Hey! This isn't exactly a time to be happy, brat." Tatl scolded me, "Do you realize what happened? What this means? The Great Fairy is dead. dead! Now who can tell us where the Skull Kid went?"

"Tatl, calm down and think about this. We are going to avenge the Great Fairy, trust me. We'll spend the rest of the next six days hunting all over for him. He's probably still in Clock Town." I hoped that Tatl would calm down.

Tatl sobbed, "But if he could do _this_ to the Great Fairy, what chance do we stand? None! None at all."

"Dammit Tatl! Stop crying for a moment and think! The Great Fairy probably had no idea that he was a threat. He caught her by surprise. That won't happen to us." I started to get annoyed.

"But even so, we have absolutely _no _idea where he could be." Tatl whipped back.

"He was your friend, right? Where did he like to go?" I started to think.

"Well, he used to be a member of the Bombers, and he liked to talk about the moon with the old man in the observatory." Tatl answered with a bit of thought.

"Then we should go to the observatory. Maybe that man will know where he is." It seemed pretty logical to me.

"But, the only way in there is guarded by the Bombers. Only their members can pass through." Tatl said.

"Well, let's go see them, then." I said, motioning towards the exit.

"Okay... erm... What's your name?" Tatl asked.

"Link. My name is Link" I said, trying to swing my stubby little arms dramatically.

We turned to look back at the fountain as we left. Where the Great Fairy once was, several weird looking fairies flew about, they were all orange, and had oversized heads... Weird. We stepped outside into the daylight.

"So, where would I find the Bombers?" I asked Tatl, hoping that she'd know.

"They usually patrol the four districts, so they could be anywhere." Tatl seemed to be amused for some reason.

"Well, we can take care of that tomorrow, It's getting late, and we need to find somewhere to sleep tonight." I yawned. "Is there an inn nearby?"

"There's the Stock Pot Inn, or, if you wanted to walk a little farther, there is Error's Place," Tatl told me.

"Let's see what the Stock Pot is like." I decided, not wanting to walk too, too far.

Tatl guided me through the darkening streets until we came to a building with 'STOCK POT INN' on a sign near the door. I tried to reach the knob. It was just barely too high for me. I tried jumping at it and got ahold of it. I turned, or swung on, the knob and opened the door.

Inside was a room with some benches and a reception area. I looked at the decor. There was some tacky green wallpaper, and some potted plants that didn't look all that healthy. I walked up to the reception area. There was a pretty redheaded girl standing behind the counter.

"Hey little boy, did you lose your mom?" She asked softly.

"No, I need a place to sleep for the night." I said, annoyed at being called 'little boy'

"I'm sorry, but we can't let a little kid stay her alone." She said.

Tatl chimed in. trying to help. "He's not a little boy, he's just a Deku Scrub."

"I know he's a scrub, but he's still a kid nonetheless." This was starting to get old.

"But... I have nowhere else to go." I started to come up with a story. "My mommy probably left town by now. Can I please stay here? Please?"

"I'll see what we can do." With that, she wandered off.

I could here her talking to someone else. "Mom, there's a little deku scrub here. He says he doesn't have anywhere to go. Can I put him in a room for the night?"

"Sure, Anju, just remember that we aren't a charity." onther woman responded.

"I'll put him up with the performers." Performers? What are they doing here?

Anju came back and led me upstairs to a door. "This will be your room for the night. The people in there are kind enough, so they might be able to help you if you need something. Good night." She opened the door to let me inside and shut it after I was in.

I looked around. There were bunk beds, so I assumed that this room was meant to accomodate multiple people. There was a table, at which sat twins playing cards and another man, holding a music box.

The music box man turned to me and said "Hey, kid. You sleeping here too?" I nodded "Okay, you can have bunks over there." He pointed to the set of beds nearest the door.

"What are you guys doing in town?" I asked.

"Why, you're new here, aren't you?" said one of the twins with a smile. "We're performers. We'll be performing at the Carnival of Time!"

"What's that?" I asked, which seemed to startle them.

The other twin said "You really don't know about the Carnival of Time? Let me explain."


End file.
